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What Russia said about the lapsing friendship treaty
Summary
A look back at the position on the Russian–Ukrainian Friendship Treaty in the days before 1 October 2018, alongside a water poisoning report from occupied Makiivka.
What was the state of the Russian–Ukrainian Friendship Treaty on 1 October 2018? By then, Russia had acknowledged that it had been notified of Ukraine's decision not to renew the agreement, as reported on 25 September 2018.
The pact, known as the "Big Treaty", was signed in 1997. It fixed the principle of strategic partnership between the two countries, recognised the inviolability of existing borders and respected territorial integrity. It also committed each side not to use its territory to harm the other's security.
Why Kyiv acted
The decision followed the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014. Ukraine's president at the time, Petro Poroshenko, had signed a decree on 19 September 2018 not to extend the treaty. Moscow's acknowledgement came six days later.
The treaty did not end immediately. It later expired on 31 March 2019, as the non-renewal decision took effect.
A separate report from Makiivka
On 27 September 2018, a separate report described more than 110 people affected by water poisoning in occupied Makiivka. Nothing in the reporting from that period tied the two developments together, and they are noted here only as part of the news picture in the days before 1 October 2018.
For readers looking back, the sequence on the treaty is straightforward: a Ukrainian decree on 19 September 2018, a Russian acknowledgement of notification on 25 September 2018, and expiry on 31 March 2019.
